Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 1, 1993 TAG: 9307300424
SECTION: DISCOVER PAGE: D-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LEIGH ALLEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"About the only thing you can do up there is enjoy it," Blue Ridge Parkway Ranger Richard Morefield said about Roanoke Mountain.
"And hang glide off of it, of course," he added.
Hang glide off it?
Turns out that Roanoke Mountain is one of only two places on the Blue Ridge Parkway (the other is Raven's Roost in Rockbridge County) that allows hang gliding. The mountain is managed by the National Park Service, which leases it from Roanoke city.
Only a 10-minute drive from downtown Roanoke, the mountain is one of about six flying spots in Southwest Virginia, according to Rob Bachman, a member of the Southwest Virginia Hang Gliders Association.
Bachman, who hang glides nearly every weekend, said Roanoke Mountain is a popular spot because it's close to town and has a paved road leading to the launch site. That's a nice break from some other sites in the area that require a four-wheel drive.
The only drawback to the spot, hang gliders say, is that they can only fly there when the wind blows from the east. Favorable conditions are rare because prevailing winds in the Roanoke Valley are from the west.
But Bachman said a low-pressure system or an approaching weather front can bring as many as 12 hang gliders out to the mountain on a good weekend afternoon. The mountain drops about 1000 feet from the takeoff spot to a meadow where the gliders land, pack up their planes and drive back up to try it again.
On a good day, Bachman said, he can stay up for an hour or two by catching warm air rising off the valley floor - thermal soar - and wind being forced upward after smashing into the side of the mountain - slope soar. He said Roanoke Mountain is considered average by hang gliding standards, making up with beauty and convenience for what it lacks in height and wind direction.
A four-mile access loop climbs to the top of the mountain at an ear-popping, bubble gum-chewing pace, an arduous challenge for runners or bikers who wander off the parkway searching for a birds-eye view of the valley. But visitors who aren't up to conquering the ascent by foot can still drive to the top, provided they show up when the gates are open between about 10 a.m. and sundown.
A 10-minute hike from the main parking lot at the top takes you to the actual summit, although the view is better from the hang gliding takeoff site because there are fewer trees in the way.
Morefield also warns hikers against leaving the trail because of "all those snakes and critters and things that people don't think we have in parks."
Morefield believes Roanoke Mountain is the area's most popular mountain because it hasn't been affected by developers, hunters or tree cutters. "It's like an island in an ocean of development. Nobody can touch it. It's just there."
by CNB